Different networks may be provided by different physical sets of infrastructure. For example, in a local area network (LAN), workstations and/or computing devices are typically connected to a network and to each other via a router, a switch, a hub, and/or repeaters. The networks are typically supported and managed by different physical network controllers.
However, wireless technology has introduced the ability to provide different networks with logically distinct networks associated with one physical infrastructure. In addition, the logically distinct networks (e.g., VLANs) can also be comprised of groups of devices and/or users physically connected to different local area networks (LANs) thus enabling devices connected to physically distinct networks to communicate with one another, for example, as if they reside on the same physical network.
Each logical network can be maintained separately. For example, each VLAN can be updated with different data sets and has a different user access list detailing conditions for access. By allocating logical networks based on relevant users, complexity in hardware requirements can be relieved and overhead network traffic may be reduced and can be useful where network traffic is caused by large amounts of mass distributions and multi-casting since logical networks (e.g., VLANs) prevent data transmission via redundant routes and/or destinations. Furthermore, since VLANs utilize switches rather than routers to separate a network into multiple broadcast domains, the inefficiency introduced by routers is decreased.
The foregoing examples of the related art and limitations related therewith are intended to be illustrative and no exclusive. Other limitations of the related art will become apparent to those of skill in the art upon a reading of the specification and a study of the drawings.